PRESS RELEASE
25 June 2024

Cebu business community pledges support for fair competition

Business organizations, trade associations, and cooperatives in Cebu have pledged their support to the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) in helping promote a culture of competition in the country.

The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, PhilExport Cebu, and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Visayas, among others, took the Competition Advocacy Pledge (CAP) during a roundtable discussion held in Mandaue City on June 19, 2024.

“This is just the start of our hopefully long journey together as stalwarts of fair market competition,” PCC Communications and Knowledge Management Office Assistant Director Ferdinand L. Paguia told attendees who took part in the roundtable.

In taking the pledge, leading business organizations have committed to upholding the principles and provisions of the Philippine Competition Act (PCA), advocating for business practices consistent with the pillars of competition, collaborating with the PCC on advocacy initiatives, staying informed about the Philippines’ competition landscape, and expanding the network of competition advocates.

The full list of organizations that took the pledge last June 19 are the following:

• Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• PhilExport Cebu
• Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Visayas
• Cebu People’s Multi-Purpose Cooperative
• Central Visayas Multi-Purpose Agricultural Cooperative
• Legal Alternatives for Women Center, Inc.
• El Pardo Transport Cooperative
• CVCCO Multipurpose Cooperative
• Integrated Bar of the Philippines – Cebu City Chapter

Individual pledgers:

• Saint Vincent De Paul Multipurpose Cooperative member
• USC and Community Multipurpose Cooperative member
• Oud Cebu Agriculture Cooperative member

Capacity Building and Advocacy Division Chief Inah Geneve T. Mangilin explained that CAP is one of the component projects of the PCC’s Champions of Competition Program, for which the PCC is seeking competition advocates from the private sector.

“Pledges can be made by individuals in their private capacity, or by groups, companies, and organizations through their official representatives,” Mangilin said.

Representatives of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Philippine Retailers Association, Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines, and Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines were the first to take the pledge when the project was launched in Manila last November 2023.

During the roundtable discussion in Cebu, Atty. Princess Emeresa A. Naga of the PCC Enforcement Office presented an overview of the PCA, including a background on the creation of the PCC.

The PCC is a quasi-judicial agency mandated to implement the PCA, which prohibits anti-competitive agreements, abuse of dominance, and anti-competitive mergers and acquisitions, thereby ensuring that businesses compete and consumer benefit.

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REFERENCE:
publicaffairs@phcc.gov.ph
PCC Public Affairs and Research Division

LINK:https://www.phcc.gov.ph/press-releases/cebu-business-community-pledges-support-for-fair-competition/